MQL4 and MQL5 Programming Articles

This article builds a Market Structure Sentinel indicator in MQL5 that detects and visualizes Smart Money Concepts (SMC) events, including Break of Structure (BOS) and Change of Character (CHOCH), in real time. It explains swing detection, structural validation, and trend classification, and adds a compact dashboard to track bullish, bearish, or ranging states for faster on‑chart interpretation.

The Fractals by Bill Williams is a potent indicator that is easy to overlook when one initially spots it on a price chart. It appears too busy and probably not incisive enough. We aim to draw away this curtain on this indicator by examining what its various patterns could accomplish when examined with forward walk tests on all, with wizard assembled Expert Advisor.

In this article, I will show a completely different approach to algorithmic trading I ended up with after quite a long time. Of course, all this has to do with my brute force program, which has undergone a number of changes that allow it to solve several problems simultaneously. Nevertheless, the article has turned out to be more general and as simple as possible, which is why it is also suitable for those who know nothing about brute force.

When working with time series, we always use the source data in their historical sequence. But is this the best option? There is an opinion that changing the sequence of the input data will improve the efficiency of the trained models. In this article I invite you to get acquainted with one of the methods for optimizing the input sequence.

AdaBoost, a powerful boosting algorithm designed to elevate the performance of your AI models. AdaBoost, short for Adaptive Boosting, is a sophisticated ensemble learning technique that seamlessly integrates weak learners, enhancing their collective predictive strength.

Traders often face drawdowns from false signals, while waiting for confirmation can lead to missed opportunities. This article introduces a triangular trading strategy using Silver’s pricing in Dollars (XAGUSD) and Euros (XAGEUR), along with the EURUSD exchange rate, to filter out noise. By leveraging cross-market relationships, traders can uncover hidden sentiment and refine their entries in real time.

Discover the secrets of algorithmic alchemy as we guide you through the blend of artistry and precision in decoding financial landscapes. Unearth how Random Forests transform data into predictive prowess, offering a unique perspective on navigating the complex terrain of stock markets. Join us on this journey into the heart of financial wizardry, where we demystify the role of Random Forests in shaping market destiny and unlocking the doors to lucrative opportunities

We invite you to get acquainted with the Hierarchical Vector Transformer (HiVT) method, which was developed for fast and accurate forecasting of multimodal time series.

This article presents an MQL5 indicator that detects and manages liquidity zone flips. It identifies supply and demand zones from higher timeframes using a base–impulse pattern, applies objective breakout and impulse thresholds, and flips zones automatically when structure changes. The result is a dynamic support‑resistance map that reduces manual redraws and gives you clear, actionable context for signals and retests.

Tired of watching progress bars instead of testing trading strategies? Traditional caching fails financial ML, leaving you with lost computations and frustrating restarts. We've engineered a sophisticated caching architecture that understands the unique challenges of financial data—temporal dependencies, complex data structures, and the constant threat of look-ahead bias. Our three-layer system delivers dramatic speed improvements while automatically invalidating stale results and preventing costly data leaks. Stop waiting for computations and start iterating at the pace the markets demand.

Many people, especially non=programmers, find it very difficult to transfer information between MetaTrader 5 and other programs. One such program is Excel. Many use Excel as a way to manage and maintain their risk control. It is an excellent program and easy to learn, even for those who are not VBA programmers. Here we will look at how to establish a connection between MetaTrader 5 and Excel (a very simple method).

The Stochastic Oscillator and the Fractal Adaptive Moving Average are an indicator pairing that could be used for their ability to compliment each other within an MQL5 Expert Advisor. We introduced this pairing in the last article, and now look to wrap up by considering its 5 last signal patterns. In exploring this, as always, we use the MQL5 wizard to build and test out their potential.

This article explores a trading strategy that integrates Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) with Bollinger Bands, leveraging categorical zone predictions for strategic market entry signals.

CatBoost is a powerful tree-based machine learning model that specializes in decision-making based on stationary features. Other tree-based models like XGBoost and Random Forest share similar traits in terms of their robustness, ability to handle complex patterns, and interpretability. These models have a wide range of uses, from feature analysis to risk management. In this article, we're going to walk through the procedure of utilizing a trained CatBoost model as a filter for a classic moving average cross trend-following strategy.

This article explores the unique identity of each currency pair through the lens of its historical price action. Inspired by the concept of genetic DNA, which encodes the distinct blueprint of every living being, we apply a similar framework to the markets, treating price action as the “DNA” of each pair. By breaking down structural behaviors such as volatility, swings, retracements, spikes, and session characteristics, the tool reveals the underlying profile that distinguishes one pair from another. This approach provides more profound insight into market behavior and equips traders with a structured way to align strategies with the natural tendencies of each instrument.

In this article, we develop a canvas-based price dashboard in MQL5 using the CCanvas class to create interactive panels for visualizing recent price graphs and account statistics, with support for background images, fog effects, and gradient fills. The system includes draggable and resizable features via mouse event handling, theme toggling between dark and light modes with dynamic color adjustments, and minimize/maximize controls for efficient chart space management.

In this article, we will delve into the detailed preparation of our indicator for Expert Advisor (EA) development. Our discussion will encompass further refinements to the current version of the indicator to enhance its accuracy and functionality. Additionally, we will introduce new features that mark exit points, addressing a limitation of the previous version, which only identified entry points.

Think about an independent Expert Advisor. Previously, we discussed an indicator-based Expert Advisor that also partnered with an independent script for drawing risk and reward geometry. Today, we will discuss the architecture of an MQL5 Expert Advisor, that integrates, all the features in one program.

In part 2, we extend the news filter to protect existing positions during news events. Instead of closing trades, we temporarily remove stop-loss and take-profit levels, storing them safely in memory. When the news window ends, stops are deterministically restored, adjusted if price has already crossed the original levels, while respecting broker minimum distance rules. The result is a mechanism that preserves trade integrity without interfering with entry logic, keeping the EA in control through volatility.

The next algorithm I will consider is cuckoo search optimization using Levy flights. This is one of the latest optimization algorithms and a new leader in the leaderboard.

The Ichimuko Kinko Hyo is a renown Japanese indicator that serves as a trend identification system. We examine this, on a pattern by pattern basis, as has been the case in previous similar articles, and also assess its strategies & test reports with the help of the MQL5 wizard library classes and assembly.

In this article, we will make an attempt to develop our own trading strategy. Any trading strategy must be based on some kind of statistical advantage. Moreover, this advantage should exist for a long time.

In this article, I will introduce a very important tool for developers. If you are not familiar with GIT, read this article to get an idea of what it is and how to use it with MQL5.

This article shows how to build an MQL5 indicator that reads a CSV trading history, extracts Profit($) values and total trades, and computes a cumulative balance progression. We plot the curve in a separate indicator window, auto-scale the Y-axis, and draw horizontal and vertical axes for alignment. The indicator updates on a timer and redraws only when new trades appear. Optional labels display per-trade profit and loss to help assess performance and drawdowns directly on the chart.

In this article, we discuss the concept of dynamic time warping as a means of identifying predictive patterns in financial time series. We will look into how it works as well as present its implementation in pure MQL5.

In this article, we will look at how to implement part of the receiver code. Here we will implement an Expert Advisor to test and learn how the protocol interaction works. The content presented here is intended solely for educational purposes. Under no circumstances should the application be viewed for any purpose other than to learn and master the concepts presented.

In the previous parts, the Expert Advisor (EA) under development was able to use only a fixed position size for trading. This is acceptable for testing, but is not advisable when trading on a real account. Let's make it possible to trade using variable position sizes.

We revisit the Ilan grid Expert Advisor and integrate Q-learning in MQL5 to build an adaptive version for MetaTrader 5. The article shows how to define state features, discretize them for a Q-table, select actions with ε-greedy, and shape rewards for averaging and exits. You will implement saving/loading the Q-table, tune learning parameters, and test on EURUSD/AUDUSD in the Strategy Tester to evaluate stability and drawdown risks.

In this article, we will begin creating a core risk management class that will be key to controlling risks in the system. We will focus on building the foundations, defining the basic structures, variables and functions. In addition, we will implement the necessary methods for setting maximum profit and loss values, thereby laying the foundation for risk management.